Interdisciplinary research focusing on highly skilled Indian migrants in Frankfurt am Main

About New Homes in New Lands

In recent years many highly qualified Indians have migrated to Germany to take on a new challenge in a non-anglo country, advance their careers, and fill in the local shortage of professionals in several industries, e.g. IT and engineering. Our research project seeks to investigate their lifestyle choices and expressions of identity in Germany through the architectural lens of housing.

Designed as a case study, our research project places a focus on the
Indian diaspora in the German financial metropolis of Frankfurt am Main.

New Homes in New Lands is funded by the
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and located at the
Technical University of Darmstadt’s Institute of Sociology.

Take a look at the detailed project description on the DFG-website with a click on the button below:

 

Our Team

 

Dhara Patel, Ph.D.

Project Lead

Architect &
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

dhara.patel@tu-darmstadt.de

  • Professional Experience

    • Since 2021: Postdoctoral Researcher (Eigene Stelle -DFG Project) at Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt)

    • 2019-2021: Ingenium Postdoctoral fellow at Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt)

    • 2018: Early Career Research Fellow, Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia

    • 2009–2017: Course Co-ordinator, Architectural Design tutor, Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia

    • 2006–2011: Practicing Architect, Various firms, Melbourne, Australia

    Awards and Fellowships

    • 2020–2021: Re-entry Scholarship, Gleichstellungsbeauftragte, Technische Universität Darmstadt

    • 2019: DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemainschaft) – Eigene Stelle (Individual Project) – 36 months research grant

    • 2019: Career Bridging Grant, INGENIUM, Technische Universität Darmstadt

    • 2016: Dean’s Prize for Best Published Postgraduate Research- 1st Prize for excellence in a peer-reviewed publication by a sole author, Melbourne School of Design Dean’s Honours Awards

    • 2014: AUSMIP mobility fellowship, ENSA Paris La Villette, ERASMUS MUNDUS

    • 2012–2016: MRS – Melbourne research scholarship, University of Melbourne

    • 2006: First prize award by CEPT campus development authority, Ahmedabad India, Design competition to redevelop the main entry to the campus.

    Education

    • 2018: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia

    • 2006: B.Arch.(Hons), School of Architecture, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

    • 2004: ERASMUS Exchange Program, ETH Zurich, School of Architecture, Zurich, Switzerland

  • Journal Articles

    • 2017: “Evolution of Elite high-rise condominiums in India: from global to neo-colonial?”, Journal of Postcolonial Studies, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 456–478, Routledge, UK.

    • 2015: “Negotiating Identities in the Designs for New Luxury Condominiums in Neo-liberal India”, International Journal of Design in Society, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. 15–29, Illinois, USA, Common Ground publishing.

    Conference Proceedings

    • 2015: “Negotiation of identities in the emergent cosmopolitan Indian landscape: analyses of the designs of new luxury high-rise apartments in neo-liberal India.” Paper presented at the Living and Learning: Research for a Better Built Environment, 49th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association, Melbourne, Australia. http://anzasca.net/2015-conference-papers/

    • 2014: “New cosmopolitans: Gated Communities in India”, The Architect, Journal of The Sri Lanka institute of Architects, Vol. 115, Issue 2, pp. 64–66.

 

Jonas Wilzbach

Research Assistant

Student BA Sociology at
TU Darmstadt

hiwi-patel@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de

Are you a member of the Indian diaspora in Frankfurt am Main? Let us know more about you and become part of our research!